Community judging is over and a runner-up in the Take a Picture grand prize contest has been chosen. Congratulations to Derrick Chhay, winner of the $500 merch shopping spree!

The winner of the grand prize in our Take A Picture contest was J.D. Busch of Plano, Texas. He reproduced the Veer logo in the corner of his garage using a perspective trick – the logo extends from near the camera all the way to the back wall, and can only be viewed in perfect proportion from a precise low angle.

See a video that showcases the work that went into J.D.'s entry (not a part of his official entry, but a great behind-the-scenes view he was kind enough to provide), plus a gallery of all the eligible submissions on the results page.

You can also participate in the final contest, where you're the judge! Rate the entries from 1 to 5 (by clicking the stars) to help choose which of the 10 runners-up will receive $500 to spend on Veer merch. The contest closes at 11:59 PST, Thursday, November 12, and we'll announce the winner on Friday.

*** UPDATE ***
The deadline has been extended to 11:59 PST, Monday, November 16.

There have been a handful of concerned emails (from individuals, and also a large, governing design association that we love) that the grand prize contest we’re running could be perceived as a “logo design competition”.

We wanted to say a few things about this to dispel any worry.

1) The Veer logo was designed by Sheldon Popiel (one of Veer’s founders) in 2002. We still like it and have no intention of ever changing it or asking anyone to redesign it.

2) The grand prize contest is an offline art and creativity challenge. We’ve asked participants to reproduce the Veer logo in an interesting way and snap a photo.

3) When the contest concludes, we’ll be showcasing the entries online for the creative community to enjoy. That’s the only way the entries will be used.

4) The contest abides by and respects the regulations and best practices of both the AIGA and GDC. Those are, in fact, two of our favorite acronyms.

And lastly…

5) Veer Ideas, The Skinny, and all of the contests of late are conceived and hosted by members of our in-house studio. We're career creatives just like you, with the same principles and pride that go along with that. We would never ask a creative to do something we wouldn’t do ourselves, and we are wholeheartedly against both spec work and logo design competitions. And cannibalism.

Over the past two months, we've awarded $42,000 in prizes to winners of daily creative challenges. Now everyone has a chance to compete for the Grand Prize, in a contest where one person will win a laptop, software, and merch prize package worth nearly $8,000!

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THE CONTEST

Step away from the computer and re-create the Veer logo using real-world objects or materials. Build, carve, light, shape, cut, project, or [insert verb here] your entry, then take a photo and send it to ideas@veer.com along with your name and mailing address. Entries will be judged on creativity, execution, and sheer awesomeness.

You can grab a vector file of the logo here: http://bit.ly/veervector

*** The deadline to enter is 11:59 p.m. PDT, November 5, 2009. ***

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THE GRAND PRIZE

A MacBook Pro and accessories worth nearly $8,000

- Apple® 17” MacBook Pro
- Adobe® Creative Suite® 4
- 1,000 Veer Marketplace credits
- Jukebox Type collection (122 fonts)
- a Type Tray laptop cushion
- a Kern Zip-up

Plus the envy and adoration of all of your peers (including us).

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The winner will be announced here on The Skinny on November 10, 2009. For full rules, regulations, and eligibility requirements, click here. Play hard!

The final week of daily and week-long contests is over! Phew. Here are the week's winners and entries:

Contest #34: Carve a pumpkin - extra points for type and design references.
Joe Buckland for Pantone 144
Kristin Gibson for Happy Halloween
Austin Jansen Shy Guy
D78 for Kernie!
Patrick Snyder for Devil

Contest #35: Take a photo themed "HALF".
@infinetcreative for Entry
@traisea for Entry
@amaliachimera for Entry
@wizzoh for Entry
@Nekouyoku for Entry

Contest #36: Write a typography-related scary movie title.
@thecorybardwell for “2012: The End of the Univers”
@johndiggity for “The Texas Chainsaw Majuscules
@garyblaney for “Zombie Apoc-Ellipsis”
@popandshorty for “An American Typewriter” in London
@monkeyhumper for “Vampire Dingbats 4”

Contest #37: Caption this photo of a man and his son at the beach.
@cheeseduaneish for “Now swim away, boy...become the merbaby you were always meant to be!”
@Rob_Objectz_III for “Nothing like a game of catch. Try tossing a little son with your ball at the beach.”
@jsb182 for OK, “Dad, I think I've got the basic stroke down. But isn't swimming supposed to be in the WATER?”
@hamtibz for “In the case of flying sepia toned silhouette baby, you ARE the father!”
@barispe for “Ballonboy finally jumps out when he hits the beach. Thank God his dad was there to catch him, with the media in tow.”

Contest #38: Create a type sample that says "The End".
@Kaonashii for Entry
@maydaybrandon for Entry
@thursdy for Entry
@EpifanioM for Entry
@lizfulghum for Entry

One pumpkin. One knife. One killer creative instinct. This week we're asking you to carve up a jack-o'-lantern for Halloween and submit a photo of your handiwork. Extra points if you can incorporate some typography or design references! The 5 best pumpkins will win $199 subscriptions for Veer Marketplace.

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How to participate:

1. Carve a pumpkin into a jack-o'-lantern.

2. Take a photo of your finished pumpkin.

3. Host your image wherever you like (Flickr, TwitPic, Veer Ideas, etc.).

4. Sign up or sign in to your free Veer Ideas account.

5. Post the URL of your image here, in the comments section of this post.

Having trouble signing in? See the first comment below, for help.

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Entries will be judged on design and craftiness. You have until next Thursday (October 29nd, 11:59pm PDT) to enter. We'll announce and post the five winners here and on Twitter (VeerUpdate) on Friday.

For more information and eligibility requirements, visit the contest page.

This week saw 23 more winners take home $199 subscriptions for Veer Marketplace. There are only 5 contests left! And remember to check back next Friday, October 30 to hear about the epic grand prize contest. Visit the contest page for all of the details.

Here are the week's winners and entries:

Contest #29: Recreate the scene in this photo:
Loren O'Laughlin for Entry
rockelle for Entry
Pixel Pizzazz for Entry

Contest #30: What would you name this shade of paint?
@MelissaWiechmnn for "Limoncello"
@visualheart for "enviro-mint"
@BrianAyers for "Mojito Mojo"
@katea "Lunchtime Margarita"
@rocketfuelsushi "Lemongrass Ice Cream Hand Grenade"

Contest #31: Photograph or scan of a page from your sketchbook/notebook.
@Lizzymilla for Entry
@gbeck419 for Entry
@Timskirven for Entry
@margarethanson for Entry
@cathyhunt for Entry

Contest #32: Caption this photo of a doctor checking X-rays:
@cduker for Entry
@innerspaeth for Entry
@SJKPDX for Entry
@jamesbarry for Entry
@creativetype1 for Entry

Contest #33: Is your Twitter page design deluxe?
@jasonmarkjones
@EliseRGood
@GeezShellLouise
@janetguertin
@tyguywilliams

Consider this our formal invitation. On November 3, the Type Directors Club presents a talk by one of the most talented type designers working today: Argentina’s Alejandro Paul, creator of incredibly beautiful faces like Compendium, Feel Script, Burgues Script, and countless others.

To commemorate the event, Nancy Harris Rouemy, renowned for her work at The New York Times Magazine (and an ardent Alejandro fan) designed the beautiful invitation above. (See the PDF — how many faces can you name?*) Letterpress printing courtesy of Davin Kuntze at Woodside Press in Brooklyn.

Hope to see you there!

*Answers in this gallery, minus one upcoming release.

“Dirty Weekend is a series of workshops that provide graphic designers with the opportunity to discover the joy of hands-on, non-digital materials & techniques & how they can enhance their creative process." So says Steve Haslip, creator of the events being held this month at the Art Directors Club, in NYC, presented by Veer. (The workshops also constitute Steve’s MFA thesis project.)

From the Flickr coverage it looks like everyone is having a fantastically dirty and creative time. See the Dirty Weekend channel on Vimeo, too.

(All the Dirty Weekends are sold out, but join the ADC or follow them on Twitter @adcglobal so you don’t miss upcoming events.)

Image above ©Steve Haslip

Here's where that attention to detail you're known for really pays off. This week, we're asking you to stage your own photo shoot to recreate the scene shown in the image at the top of this post: a seated office worker covered in Post-It notes.

There's no need for an exact match of the model's appearance (any person or non-person can play the part). Instead, you'll be judged on how well you improvise the setting, accessories, and pose with what & who you have on hand.

The 5 best replicas will win $199 subscriptions for Veer Marketplace. As always, you can enter this contest as many times as you want.

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How to participate:

1. Stage the scene shown in the image at the top of this post.

2. Take a photo of your scene.

3. Host your image wherever you like (Flickr, TwitPic, Veer Ideas, etc.).

4. Sign up or sign in to your free Veer Ideas account.

5. Post the URL of your image here, in the comments section of this post, along with the headline & link to the article you chose.

Having trouble signing in? See the first comment below, for help.

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Entries will be judged on your ingenuity and success in replicating the original photo. You have until next Thursday (October 22nd, 11:59pm PDT) to enter. We'll announce and post the five winners here and on Twitter (VeerUpdate) on Friday.

For more information and eligibility requirements, visit the contest page.

Good luck!